Niraimathi's Bloghttps://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com
Life is too short to be anything but happy!!Sun, 20 May 2018 10:26:43 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngNiraimathi's Bloghttps://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com
My Dream Travelogue!!https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/my-dream-travelogue/
https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/my-dream-travelogue/#respondTue, 11 Mar 2014 16:51:08 +0000http://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/?p=392“ZZZzzzzzz ZZZzzzzzzz” a mosquito flies past my eyes when I realize my mouth is open, my eyes wide as I keep staring at my computer monitor awestruck. Seeing the locations in this site I rub my eyes in disbelief if these are places on earth. I add malaysia to my list of “Countries to visit before I die”. Don’t ask if I already had such list. I am creating one now on seeing these breathtaking pictures because what if I go to heaven(ofcourse hell is full) and see these places from there. I would be heartbroken on missing them.
As I scan through the places state wise my “Places to visit” list keeps increasing like gold price that I wonder if a year stay would suffice to cover all the places.

The topic seems simple at first “All you have to do is write a blog post about 5 things you would want to experience in Malaysia“. But the tough part is to choose ONLY 5. I started with around 30 places and halfheartedly started reducing the count. Even when I started writing this post I had 10 places. I am yet to decide the final 5. Hopefully by the end of this post I would have finalized them.

Pulau Payar Marine Park, Langkawi

Pulau Payar Marine Park, Langkawi

Ever since I had seen the wood house amidst water in the film Force I had wanted to visit a place similar to that. On reading that the base out here is the floating platform moored off Pulau Payar I am very excited. I have read in many books about scuba diving but god knows what it is. It would be a thrill to try it out here. An underwater observation chamber to view the marine life surrounding the reef is way too exciting. Pulau payar Marine Park is the #No 1 place to visit in Malaysia.
More info : Pulau Payar Marine Park

Tree Top Walk Sungai Sedim

Tree Top Walk Sungai Sedim

It has always been my dream to explore forests. I think this is due to the influence of films. Be it romantic films like twilight or adventurous films like congo or jurassic park there is always forest. But I am also a little frightened about forests. But when I read that you could explore forests from a height of 50m safe I thought “Yesssss!!!”. What more pleasure can I get, walking amidst the jungle, 50m above the ground holding the hand of my love and enjoying the nature around me. Tree Top Walk is at #No 2 position.
More info : Tree Top Walk

Pulau Redang

Pulau Redang

Seriously this place makes me believe that there is heaven on earth. It would be a pleasure to play in the sea early morning with its clear water making your skin fresh and alive. What more than enjoying the beauty of the sea lying in the beach. Pulau Redang is the #No 3 place to visit in Malaysia.
More info : Pulau Redang

Aquaria KLCC

Aquaria KLCC

To be honest I had seen this place in honeymoon pictures of almost all my friends. I am not yet married. So I guess my future hubby will take me here on reading this post. To be surrounded by water and observing the sea animals while remaining dry is thrilling. Aquaria KLCC is #No 4.
More info : Aquaria KLCC

i-City

i-City

Night is the most beautiful time of the day.During Diwali I love lighting lamps, decorating my house and taking infinite pictures of me. Here is an entire city with lamps. I can’t wait to take pictures and posting on FB getting infinite likes. I-City is #No 5.
More info : i-City

Finally I have nailed the top 5 places I would like to visit in Malaysia. Hopefully this dream travelogue of mine becomes a reality in the near future

With reality shows becoming a big hit in India we at “V Hair” Studios have come up with a new contest for all the hair lovers.

The contest rules are pretty simple:
1. Participants should entertain the audience with their hair.(not make them pluck their hair)
2. Of course Bald/People with tonsured head not eligible for participation.
3. At the end of the performance there should be no hair damage, falling of hair or any other noticeable hair related problems, else participants will be disqualified.
4. Participants should live within this boundary
5. Your real age(not FB age) should be 18+.
6. Your gender doesn’t matter as long as you have hair.
7. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges. Judges decision is not final. You can protest by throwing rotten egss or tomatoes if you are not satisfied with the result.

Now:
After nearly 100 episodes of laborious contests including wild card rounds and voting for 2 years we have finally come to the Grand Finale of “Kaun banega hair dancer” with 3 finalists. In this final round apart from the entertainment quotient contestants hair will be meticulously judged for hair problems that were not noticeable in previous rounds. Now introducing you the 3 grand finalists

Finalist #1 Sona singh:
Introducing Sona Singh a promising contestant of Kaun banega hair dancer. We have seen various scintillating performances of her hair. Let us wait and watch if she is able to rock this round without any hair disasters.

Sona Singh – During her performance

Thank you Sona for entertaining us with your performance.Though her performance was watchable we have noticed hair fall and hair tangling. Hope the hair straightening didn’t cause this damage sona. Judges won’t be pleased with this.

Next on the top 3 list is Vinay guptaFinalist #2Vinay Gupta:
Vinay gupta is the only male contestant who has been able to withstand till last round in this women dominated contest. We wish him good luck for a rocking performance.

Vinay SIngh – Rocking the stage

Ohhhh Nooo!! Dandruff on his shirt. Vinay should have been more careful with his hair colouring I guess. But let’s wait and watch our final contestant before beginning our guesses.

Finalist #3: Aditi:
Aditi has been a tough contender from the very start. With gorgeous, shiny hair she is sure a dream girl. Introducing our final contestant Aditi.

Audience enjoying Aditi’s performance with covetous eyes

That was indeed a hair boggling performance :). Though the audience would have made a guess about the winner let’s give a chance for the judges to decide. The winner will be announced in another 10 minutes. BREAK.

The most awaited moment has come with the judges ready with the results. The winner is OF COURSE ADITI!!!! For those who missed her live performance check out the below video.

We are taking you backstage to meet the participants to ask about their experience and journey. After a long search we find Sona.

Lets find out what is preventing people from playing with their hair:
Me : Hi Sona..How was your experience on stage.
Sona : It was pretty fine. I was a little nervous at start. But I didn’t expect my hair to behave the way it did. I had done hair straightening few weeks back. I think my hair was too weak to withstand that. May be I should have taken proper care or changed my shampoo. Due to hair fall I am afraid to even touch my hair now.But I am happy that I was able to make it till the last round.

We then find Vinay surrounded by a crowd of girls. He waves to us but is again pulled into the crowd. We finally meet Aditi. Let’s hear it from the winner.
Me : Hai Aditi. How was your overall experience.
Aditi : I am very excited to have won the contest. I wish to thank my fans and judges for their support.
Me : What do you think is the reason for your success?
Aditi : Youngsters nowadays do lots of experiments on hair. Be it colouring or hair straightening. Our hair becomes weak due to constant exposure to heat and other chemicals. This leads to hair fall, dandruff, split ends, gray hair and hair damage. Due to such problems people are afraid to touch their own hair let alone play with it due to the fear of hair fall. Dove has given me confidence to experiment with my hair without damaging it.
Me : So the long awaited answer for your gorgeous hair is dove.
Aditi : Yeah! Ever since I started using dove i am falling in love with my hair. I even sleep hugging my hair and smelling it.

How Aditi loves to play with her hair:
Aditi loves to colour her hair. She tells “It brings different shades in me”. Yeah sure it does.

“Love to have different looks by colouring my hair” – Aditi

Hairstyles Aditi has tried because her hair is manageable.

Aditi – trying different styles

For those who wish to experiment with their hair without having to worry about it switch to Dove and play with your hair like Aditi.

Approximately 33.968 trillion miles from earth is Hell(Don’t ask me how I know). It is a mundane day in hell with its daily ritual in progress. In one corner is a big pot of oil with few people boiling in it, few others burning in fire, some being eaten by insects like leeches, remaining few being beaten by weapons having sharp edges like gada. “Ghazni” a voice shouts. Everyone is so relieved to hear the voice, for the intrusion has momentarily stopped their torture. It is Chitragupta standing with a big bound book searching for his target amongst the crowd of people. Ghazni is allotted for Agnikunda, a punishment wherein the guilty is roasted in agni kunda(fire) in inverted position with hands and legs tied under a stick. It is for people who steal others property by force. Ghazni is released from the stick and comes forward.

Chitragupta : It has been 983 years since you are a resident here.

Ghazni : Only 983? Am I being transferred to heaven?

Chitragupta gets irritated.

Chitragupta : 983 years in hell for 59 years in earth.

Ghazni is ashamed

Ghazni : Money and power made me blind.

Chitragupta : Good that you realized at least now after 983 years in hell. Btw you are eligible for parole.

Ghazni : Parole??

Chitragupta : It is a new scheme introduced by Yamraj wherein you are free to leave hell for a day.

Ghazni : Can I get it extended for a week?

Chitragupta : You are not Mr. Sunjay Dutt..

Ghazni : What am I supposed to do? Am I free to go to earth?

Chitragupta : Yes. You should go to earth. Note how people remember you. List the mistakes you made during your life and given a chance to rectify them note them and submit a report to me.

Ghazni becomes happy that he is allowed to go to earth. He is excited to see earth after nearly 983 years. Waving good bye to his fellow mates at hell he starts his journey towards earth. As soon as Chitragupta had said earth, Ghazni wanted to visit India for it was the most beautiful and fertile country he had ever seen and the country where he had done most of his misdeeds. He wanted to know what history had written about him.

As he descends from the sky he sees tall buildings,people, vehicles and smoke everywhere. Wondering if it is the same earth or some other planet with humans he lands in the corner of a street watching the people pass by. He was quite sure no one would know him. Clueless as to where to start he finds a school. He is sure that somewhere in the pages of the history book his name would be mentioned. Scanning each and every class at last he finds a class room with History written on the black board and below it “Muhammed Ghazni”. Excited he enters the classroom and sits in the last bench next to a boy who is sleeping peacefully. First thing he hears from the teacher is “Ghazni looted India 17 times”. Feeling bad for himself he continues listening. The teacher continues

” In the name of Islam, he conquered the eastern Iranian lands and the northwestern Indian subcontinent from 997 to his death in 1030. During his rule, he invaded and plundered parts of Hindustan 17 times.”

He wonders about the wealth he had accumulated. He doesn’t remember enjoying them for constantly he was seeking more wealth. After death the wealth was of no use to him. He was an ordinary man being tormented in hell. He wonders what would have happened had he not been greedy. Would he have lived long? Would he have been happier? Would he have been in heaven? With so many thoughts racing his mind he continues listening.

“Mahmud conquered and destroyed thousands of Hindu temples during his raids including the famous Somnath temple, which he destroyed in 1025 AD, killing over 50,000 people who tried to defend it. ”

He thinks about the innocent people whom he had killed ruthlessly. What harm had they done to him? He now understands the reason for his punishment in hell. He is sure that he will rot in hell for all that he had done. The teacher continues further

“He made great efforts to capture and destroy Somnath, in the hope that the Hindus would then become Muhammadans. As a result thousands of Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam. Mahmud had the gilded lingam of somnath temple broken into pieces and had them made into steps for his mosque and palace.”

He recalls those incidents as if they had happened yesterday. He feels disappointed in himself for making people convert religion. After death he had neither seen Lord Allah nor Lord Shiva. All he had seen was a single supreme power. He grieved for the fact that he had used religion to do crimes for god is one.

Feeling deeply ashamed and guilty he leaves the classroom making sure not to wake the boy who is sleeping. Chitragupta smiles as Ghazni enters hell for he had seen everything happening on earth. Chitragupta asks for the report. Ghazni hands over it.

Written inside are two things

1. Money is not everything in the world. Looting people is a cowardice act. You have no right to kill others, for all are the children of God.

2. Fighting in the name of religion is stupidity because there is only one God. We give various forms to him and worship.

A small smile appears in the corner of Chitragupta’s lips for he had achieved what he had wanted. Now it was time to call Hitler.

For all those wondering what the title meant “Yamīn ad-Dawlah Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd Ibn Sebüktegīn” is Ghazni’s full name.

Chitra gupta – Chitragupta is a god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of human beings on the earth. Upon their death, Chitragupta has the task of deciding heaven or the hell for the humans, depending on their actions on the earth.

Disclaimer : This post is not intended to hurt anyone or any religion. It is written to convey the message that God is one.

]]>https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/yamin-ad-dawlah-abul-qa%e1%b9%a3im-ma%e1%b8%a5mud-ibn-sebuktegin/feed/2rukmaindispireThose three words!!!!https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/those-three-words/
https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/those-three-words/#commentsSun, 23 Feb 2014 17:57:42 +0000http://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/?p=246Readers the three words are definitely not “I Love u”
I remember sitting in my 2nd grade class with my teacher telling “Whenever you meet someone you should greet them by asking “How are you?””. I thought it was a custom followed everywhere. But later I realized that the question will keep changing as you grow. As I turned 21 slowly the question “How are you” got replaced by “When’s your marriage?”.Yes those are the three words I got allergic to.
Wherever I go these serious people seems to be following me everywhere with the same question. Initially I was happy to answer their questions because it was nice that someone cared for you.

At 21

At 21

As years passed I got irritated with the same question.

At 23

At 23

At one stage my tolerance threshold got crossed.At 25

At 25

Alas they transferred their serious “serious disease” to me.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to marriages because it was infinite fun. I loved dressing like a princess, eating lots of sweets, taking pictures etc. But these serious people started cornering me in marriages too spoiling my fun.

Even at marriages

Nowadays I avoid going to marriages to escape from these people thus sacrificing the fun and food along with it.

Even if I avoid marriages people come to my home to give invitations for their children’s marriage. Nowadays I hide whenever I see people with invitations entering my home because eventually the topic will come about my marriage. When they ask my parents “When are you planning marriage for your daughter?” and if my parents reply “May be in a year or two” you will get a disapproving, dissatisfied and serious “Still your daughter is unmarried” look. For those who have not experienced it have a look below.

The disapproving look you get when you tell you are not getting married now

Not only do you become a victim to these people if you are not married but due to other reasons as well.You become a target to these people if your answer to any of the following questions is No.

Victims of serious people are those with answer No to the above questions

Take these serious people seriously because believe me or not they are responsible for half the diseases related to depression, heart attack and seriousness(Of course it is a disease). Imagine people drilling you down with the same question wherever you go and making you serious. Your mind starts to conceive that you are doing something wrong. You start thinking about it again and again causing depression and seriousness.

Currently there are twenty-three chapters, consisting of five hundred and eleven sections in our Indian Penal Code. I suggest the government to include 512th section to prevent these serious people from making our lives serious.

Section 512: Making people serious

512:Making people serious—(1) Where a person is made serious by a serious person for trivial matters making his otherwise non-serious life serious

Explanation : (1) Whoever makes a person serious shall be punished with life long ban from being serious, and banned from asking questions to people which will make them serious.

CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENCEPunishment—Accused should always be smiling the rest of his life and stop being serious otherwise he will be imprisoned for life—Cognizable—Non-bailable—Triable by Court of Session—Non-compoundable.

COMMENTSApplicability
Everyone in the planet.

Burden of Proof
A written complaint by anyone who was made serious.

The serious gang who become serious for ordinary matters.

Dear serious people,
Please understand that enquiring about people is different. It shows care and love. But making them serious by asking the same questions again and again is a criminal offense if my above suggestion to include section 512 is made legal :). People know to take care of themselves. So stop interfering in their lives trying to give suggestions, irritating and making them serious. There is no fixed age for anything in life. You have 100+ years to live and enjoy life. Why try to finish things in a hurry in life.

The only cure known for seriousness as on 23/02/2014 is

5 star – Cure for serious people

The serious gang – made unserious

Disclaimer : This post is a fun post not intended to hurt anyone or make them serious. In case it made you serious please try the cure suggested above.

]]>https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/those-three-words/feed/2rukmaAt 21At 23At 25Even at marriagesDisapproving lookVIctims of serious peopleThe serious gang5 star - Cure for serious peopleThe serious gang - made unseriousWhy Us?https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/why-us/
https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/why-us/#commentsSun, 19 Jan 2014 15:05:33 +0000http://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/?p=232I am not sure if I’m dreaming or is someone really kicking me. I struggle to open my eyes against my heavy eyelids. But the kicking continues so I open my eyes to see a man standing next to me smiling. Does kicking someone make you happy? I wonder. With such a wonderful start to my day I drag my legs and leave the place wishing myself “Bad morning”. After a few steps I feel a sudden twitching in my stomach as if my large intestine is eating my small intestine. I realize that I’m hungry.

I start searching for a place to eat when I find a tea shop. As soon as I near it I hear people shouting, “Hey! Go away! Who let THIS here? Get lost”. With sadness in my eyes and hunger in my stomach I leave the place thinking “Who let THIS?. Don’t I have life? It should’ve been Who let HIM”. Cursing the guy I start my search again to find a marriage hall. Blessing the couples I go to the garbage can in search of leftover food. I find 2 dogs already fighting there for the food. With no other option I also enter the fight and grab some food and run from that place. Thanking god for the food I finish eating.

Feeling tired I close my eyes for a nap when I hear laughter nearby. I turn to see few children playing. Happy on seeing them playing I go near them to join. Suddenly a boy sees me and starts throwing stones at me. On seeing him his friends also start throwing stones at me. Frustrated and hurt I run away from that place madly when I see a car approaching me fastly. It was as if Lord Yama dharma was riding his buffalo and approaching me. Praying god that I should go to heaven I suddenly hear a voice shouting “Stop.. You are going to kill the DOG.”

“DOG? Oh yes I’m a dog. If I were a human you will fear to treat me the above way because you know that I will thrash you back. You treat a dog this way because you think of dogs as poor, helpless creatures. Wait. I hear dogs barking. I better check it out. Don’t go anywhere I will be back.” I start running in the direction of the sound when I see a vehicle with board “Dog vehicle”. Frightened I run as fast as my legs could carry me not caring about the direction because wherever I go my life would be the same with the people around me considering me an unwanted thing.

“While there are some humans who treat dogs like humans there are few other people who don’t treat dogs even like dogs. Even Lord Kaala Bairavar has a dog as his vehicle. But you humans treat us like a scum. Why us? What harm did we do to you people”.

Lord kaala bairavar

Maybe like the monkeys in the movie “Rise of planet of Apes” if we dogs started showing our power you people will respect us.

Don’t forget that even GOD is DOG spelled backwards!.
So next time you see a street dog I’m not asking you to go and hug him. Just don’t hurt him for he also has feelings.”

Ha! Dont get confused. You are reading the right post “Recharge your hair, recharge your life”. I found this pic of mine as I was scanning my childhood album. The doll that you see in my hand is Pinky. Pinky was my favourite doll. I remember spending hours dressing her. But most of the time I spent combing her hair and trying different hairstyles on her. Somehow I believed that the beauty of my doll was directly proportional to the beauty of her hair. The more I took care of her hair the more beautiful she became. If this is the case with dolls so it is with humans because dolls are miniature human beings. My simple formula is hair is air with an H with both being mandatory and important to our life.

H A I R = (H) A I R

With life being full of ifs and buts I have listed the coolest changes that would happen in your life IF U recharge your hair.

IF U

Find a cool life partner

How :

1. Recharge your hair

2. Visit a nearby mall wearing a lovely dress preferably on a Friday evening when the mall is crowded.

Neatly dressed u with recharged hair!!

3. Wait in the food court for sometime. Within minutes you will definitely meet the love of your life.

Love of your life!!

4. You will fall in love with him.

Both of u falling in love!!

It is indeed true that with recharged hair love is in the air.

5. You will have cool kids

Ur cool kids!!

6. Your life is recharged.

IF NOT

If you miss the first step i.e recharging your hair have a look at your life.

You without recharged hair

You & ur hubby without recharged hair

Ur children without recharged hair!!

Your life has been discharged.

IF U

Be Stylish in all pics

How

1. Recharge your hair

2. Roam the entire city, town, country or world with your friends

3. Take lots of pictures with your friends wherever and whenever possible.

4. Look at them anytime, even after 50 years.

Pic of u(recharged hair) and ur friends on a holiday

5. Whenever you see the above pic your life gets recharged on seeing you beautiful with your friends.

IF NOT

If you roam without recharged hair this is how you will be in all the pics.

Pic of u(discharged hair) and ur friends on a holiday

Every time you look at this pic you will be reminded of how bad your hair was.

IF U

Wake up beautiful

How

1. Recharge your hair.

2. Sleep peacefully with recharged hair without having to worry about hair tangles.

3. Wake up in the morning looking gorgeous.

You become happy on seeing you beautiful in the morning

3. Seeing you gorgeous in the morning recharges your entire day and your life and makes you think “I’m so beautiful. I will conquer the entire world today”.

IF NOT

Waking to see you in a mess in the morning makes your mood bad and makes you think “I look like a beggar.Now I need to spend hours on detangling it and making it look pretty.

U become sad on seeing your messy hair

IF U

Do gorgeous hairstyles with ease

How

1. Recharge your hair.

2. Choose any hairstyle and try it.

Try these hairstyles with ease

3. You become happy on seeing you in different hairstyles and your life gets recharged.

IF U

Get infinite likes, comments and shares in FB

How

1. Recharge your hair.

2. Take pictures of you and post them in facebook.

Ur FB pic with many likes, comments and shares.

3. Get infinite likes, comments and shares from your friends.

4. Recharge your life by looking at all likes.

IF NOT

If you post a pic of u with messy hair you will get 0 likes, comments and shares as shown below.

Ur FB pic with 0 likes

IF U

Ever wondered why rishis have long hair?

It seems that we have more hair on the head because that is where the seat of energy is.

As quoted in Autobiography of a Yogi

” “The spinal cord is like an upturned tree, with man’s hair as its roots, and afferent and efferent nerves as branches.Like an upturned plant, man similarly absorbs through his hair electric currents helpful to the body”.

Hence hair is not just a filamentous biomaterial. It helps us absorb cosmic energy. Having a recharged hair helps us recharge our body.

It’s Sunsilk
This post is written to participate in “Recharge your hair, recharge your life” contest by SUNSILK

]]>https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/if-u/feed/2rukmaMe with my doll PinkyNeatly dressed u with recharged hair!!Love of your life!!Both of u falling in love!!Ur cool kids!!You without recharged hairYou & ur hubby without recharged hairUr children without recharged hair!!Pic of u(recharged hair) and ur friends on a holidayPic of u(discharged hair) and ur friends on a holidayYou become happy on seeing you beautiful in the morningU become sad on seeing your messy hairTry these hairstyles with easeUr FB pic with many likes, comments and shares.Ur FB pic with 0 likesrishisunsilksunsilk shampooWhat’s my next gift mom?https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/whats-my-next-gift-mom/
https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/whats-my-next-gift-mom/#respondFri, 27 Dec 2013 17:39:40 +0000http://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/?p=109As I read through the contest topic today morning I thought “Perfect. I will ask my mother to blog about this topic. She is surely an expert in gifts and my future seems secure too. So obviously she should have planned and gifted stuff when I was a child. She is the perfect contestant!!”. Thinking of ways to convince her to write I came out of my room to find her sitting and reading newspaper. “Mama I’m giving you an opportunity to win Nexus 5, iPad Mini or nexus 7 tablet based upon your performance. Just write about 5 life changing gifts that you have gifted me.” My mother lowered the newspaper and gave me a “I know what you are up to” look.”Ahhh beti I’m busy planning gifts for your next birthday.” I was puzzled and said,”Mom my birthday is not until next July”. “So you think that the gifts that you get on your birthday are planned only a week before? They are a result of months of planning and buying.”she said and sensing that I was about to beg her into writing she continued “Fine. For a change why don’t you pick the 5 gifts that me and papa have presented you that you think was life changing and blog about it”. I knew she was right. It would be fun recollecting all the old gifts I had received and blog about them. I was leaving the room when she winked at me and said “Don’t forget to dedicate the post to me”. “Sure mom. I will dedicate it with even a picture of you, but the prizes are mine” I winked and left the room.
So my hunt for the 5 special gifts started. I started the search in my room scanning the shelves. Within 5 minutes of my hunt I found my first special gift which was, is and will be the most treasured one and no other gift can even near that. It wasLove and support from my parents and family
As I flipped through the many albums scanning the pictures of my parents and my family on various occasions, the thought that I am surrounded by people who care and love me somehow made me feel safe and secure. No materialistic gift on the world will make you feel this way.

The most essential factor affecting a child is the surrounding in which he/she grows. A child raised by loving parents in a friendly atmosphere will definitely be confident and more successful than the rest. I remember reading somewhere “Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate”. Children learn from their parents. So when parents are good knowingly or unknowingly they inculcate the same in their child. I’m thankful to my parents for giving me the gift of a lovely childhood, good family and for being good as a result of which I’m good.(Parents prohibited from commenting on this point :P).
I continued my hunt for the next gift. It then flashed in my mind. “How could I even forget it”.My dog house piggy bank
I started searching for it but I wasn’t sure if I would find it. On hearing the noise I was making my mother came and on seeing the scattered things on the floor she asked “What are you searching for?” Still searching I asked,”Where is my dog house piggy bank? You got it for me on some birthday.”I had actually forgotten on which birthday I had got it. “It was for your 7th birthday sweety and your brother broke it long back. Did u forget?”. ”I need it now. I want to take a picture of it and post it in my blog.” I said making a sad face.My mother said,”Don’t worry I will get it for your next birthday”. Saying so she left the room smiling. For those of you who have not heard about dog house piggy bank, it was a cute toy in the shape of a house. When you place money near the door a dog will pop out of the house and take the money inside. It was my favorite toy.Daily I used to save my left over pocket money. Even though the toy is no longer with me It was this habit that taught me the power of saving. I thank my parents for giving me that wonderful gift. It would have been better if my brother hadn’t broken it. I had to google to get an image.

The next best gift that I got was for my 10th birthday.Fun doubles when shared(My trip to an orphanage home)
On my birthday morning my parents asked me to get ready telling that we were going outside. They didn’t tell me where.They took me to a big building 10kms from my house. Only on entering I realized it was an orphanage home.
My parents had arranged for breakfast and lunch there. The caretaker there announced that it was my birthday and the children started singing birthday song. I was surprised and happy on seeing them sing and wish me. I was moved to tears. They came and wished me in person. I was on cloud nine that day. Till that day I didn’t realize that a simple birthday wish from a stranger would make me happy. That visit somehow changed my perception of life. Even now my birthday starts by getting wishes from the children of the orphanage.
My next favorite gift is and always will be BOOKS. My favorite quote by Anna Quindlen
“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”Books
I got this wonderful gift for my 12th birthday. It was by Enid blyton – Five go down to sea. At first I was not happy with the gift. I cried demanding them to buy me another gift. My dad told me “Finish that book and ask for another gift”. With no other choice I started reading it and in no time I completed the book. When my father asked what other gift you want, I said “I want another book of enid blyton”. Till now reading is my passion. Reading a book gives me immense joy taking me to a different world. If not for that book as a gift I wouldn’t have become a reader. Thank you dad for that wonderful present.

As I finished writing this my mom entered the room asking,”Is it done?” I replied back telling “Yeah almost done. Just 1 gift left”. My mom told,”Can I contribute the last gift?” I smiled broadly telling”You are welcome.” She started telling a huge list and I interrupted her asking her to tell slowly as I noted them down.5th gift
She continued “Our world is you children. Seeing you happy, safe and securing your future is our only goal in life. We started investing in a PPF account for you even before you were born.” I was surprised on hearing that. “Education is the most important for a child. Shortage of money should not be a constraint in fulfilling a child’s dream. Hence we invested in insurance plan for your education. We also have separate accounts with funds for your marriage. In short we wanted to make sure that we never said NO to anything you ask for be it education abroad or for vacation anywhere in the world.”I never knew my parents had planned everything well in advance.
“So I think it’s time for a vacation to paris” I said smiling,”I know you will never say NO.”My mother smiled telling,”Yay let’s start packing”.
As promised to my mother I’m dedicating this post to her with picture. A wonderful, lovely woman with great self confidence who has taught me not to quit however bad life treats you.

I also dedicate this post to my dad hoping that this dedication would get me a good present next birthday.

]]>https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/whats-my-next-gift-mom/feed/0rukmaMy Familydoghouse5godowntoseaPhoto1069Love you Naani!!https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/love-you-naani/
https://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/love-you-naani/#commentsWed, 20 Nov 2013 18:22:18 +0000http://rukmakrithika.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/love-you-naani/“Ahhh!! What could be more refreshing than this?” I think drinking my cup of green tea, sitting in a chair in my garden. “Rukma.. where is my specs? Where did you keep it? How many times have I told you not to misplace it. I’m not able to find it” a voice shouts from inside. I rush to find my husband turning the living room upside down searching for his spectacles. I go near him pinch him in the cheeks and take his specs from his pocket. He smiles sheepishly wearing it. “What would I have become if not for you” he says and winks at me. “You would have been better if not for me. I’m the one spoiling you. Now clean the mess that you have created. ” I say and stand there as he begs me to clean it. Our little fight is interrupted as the phone rings. I pick up the receiver “Mom. Please come to Bangalore and stay with us for some time. I’m not able to manage with these kids. They fall sick often and I’m afraid.” As much as I love to spend time with my grandchildren I can’t leave my husband alone here and go. All these years he wanted to stay in the same village where he was born, refusing to leave it. Seeing the worried look on my face he gets the receiver and says “Don’t worry Steffi. Mom will be there in Bangalore tomorrow“. I wonder how he knew this is what we were talking about.

After giving him a list of Do’s and Don’ts I half heartedly pack my stuff and he drops me off in the nearest city airport. Having reached there a bit earlier I wait in the lounge observing the things around me. To my left is a small cramped glass cabin with a maximum capacity of ten people but I see nearly twenty people packed in it. At first I’m intrigued. “Is it some end of season sale?” I wonder. Then I find a signboard “Smoking Area”. I am taken aback. “Have people become so much addicted to cigarettes that smoking is like breathing for them , instead of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide they inhale and exhale smoke. Apart from polluting the environment it also pollutes the minds of small children who see adults smoke. People want their children to be healthy but they forget that the very smoke that comes from their cigarette will be inhaled by their children. So next time you smoke think that your child will inhale the same air. Automatically you will stop smoking.

I am roused from my deep thought as I hear my name being called. “Last boarding call for Mrs. Rukma”. I wonder how time flew and rush to the terminal to board my flight. After a comfortable journey of nearly two hours I reach Bangalore. I see my daughter waiting at the entrance waving at me with a big smile on her face. It is like yesterday that she was a small girl waving at me when I dropped her at school. She is a mother now with two children. I hug her and we start chitchatting on our way home. For every five minutes we get stuck in a signal waiting for nearly ten minutes in each. Having lived in a village for long, breathing pure air, it is disturbing for me to see the pollution around. I see many cars around me with only one person sitting inside. Travelling by bus reduces nearly forty cars on the road. I pity that people don’t realize that in the name of luxury we are spoiling the environment where our children live. As we cross Marathahalli bridge I see paintings in the walls of the bridge. A particular one catches my attention “We don’t inherit earth from our ancestors but we borrow it from our children.” I feel that Government of Karnataka also agrees with me.

Bangalore Traffic

After nearly two and half hours (it took only two hours from my village to Bangalore) we reach home. Sarah comes running towards me “Nani nani nani!!” and she hugs me. What more joy than getting hugged by your grandchildren. I ask her “Where is Dhruv?”. She says “Bhaiya is not feeling well. He has cold and mamma has asked him not to come out of the room”. I kiss her and go to see him. I see him lying in the bed with a weak smile on seeing me. Next to him is a box of covers with medicines written Morning, Evening and night. I wonder what is the need of so many medicines for a normal cold. I tell him “Beta don’t worry. Nani is here. I will make your cold fly away in two days.” The following night I apply a paste of naamakatti on his forehead and above his nose to stop the running nose. Then I make him a glass of milk with freshly ground pepper, pinch of turmeric powder and honey mixed in it. In two days he starts to recover. According to me instead of taking tablets for small health problems, curing through home remedies is the best without any side effects.

As days pass by I notice the children eating more junk food than nutritious food. Whenever we leave the supermarket it will be followed by Dhruv’s cry demanding for either soft drinks or burger. When I ask Sarah “What do you buy and eat during break in school?” She replies “Pizza, chips or burger”. Eating such food once in a while is of no harm but eating them daily is surely a health spoiler. I decide to change their food habits. But I know that merely advising them won’t help. So I call them one day and ask them to make a list of both junk and healthy foods they ate that day. Both had a long list in the junk food side and managed 2-3 items in the healthy food. I tell them “You get 1 point for each healthy food you eat and -1 for each junk food you eat. At the end of each week the person with maximum points will get to choose the place we will visit that weekend.” Both their face brightens as I know they have completely different interests. Dhruv likes to go to movies, cricket matches whereas Sarah likes to go to parks and shopping. For the sake of winning they start reducing their junk food but without their knowledge it will become a habit for them to not eat junk food. They start to eat dry fruits and nut, milk, egg, vegetables and fruit.

More than the addiction to junk food their biggest addiction was television and computer games. Each one has a tab where they keep playing 24*7 oblivious to their surroundings. I never see them going out and play. So I start to organize games daily for an hour in the play area for the kids in that block. I give a chocolate to the winner daily. Even a small chocolate makes a child feel satisfied and brings a thousand watt smile on its face unlike an adult who gets satisfied at nothing.

I make them sleep early and get up early every day. I go for a small walk with them in the morning daily. The fresh, non polluted morning air does wonders to your body. You feel relaxed, happy and energetic for the entire day. Most people don’t realize that their mind and body is interconnected. They are like the two wheels of a vehicle. Both should be good for us to drive through the road called life. I hang a chart in the refrigerator with daily to-do list for children with activities like brushing at night, washing your hands and legs after playing, drinking minimum ten glasses of water daily etc. I tell them “Whoever completes all tasks will get to watch tv for an extra hour”. This motivates them to do all tasks for the sake of watching television.

Example to-do chart for children

I monitor the children for three months till everything becomes a habit for them. Once something becomes your habit you will automatically do it, be it the habit of getting up early or the habit of not eating junk food. Such is the power of habit. I gradually see their health improving. Dhruv who used to fall sick often seems to have become immune. I don’t restrict them from playing in either rain or mud. Being overprotective of children will make them less immune. As we do mistakes and learn so does our immune system. As a child grows the immune system learns different defense mechanisms for fighting diseases. If you maintain good health your immunity will automatically become better. You need not care about whatever new disease scientists discover.

In the blink of an eye a year passes. It is time for me to leave Bangalore. I pack and hug the children before leaving. They say “Naani. We love you. Do come again soon” and they give me a beautiful handmade greeting card written “World’s best Naani”. I’m moved to tears.

With a heavy heart I leave Bangalore and reach my village. My husband stands at the gate to welcome me. He asks me “How are the children now?”. I say “I hope I made a difference in their life”. He hugs me and says “Like you made in mine.” I hug him back thinking that he will always be my child however old we become.

This post is a dedication to all grandmothers out there, especially my grandma(seen in pic) who have seen us grow from a little toddler till now, telling us stories, giving us company, saving us from our parents and what not. Moreover it is she who gave us our parents.

Me with my grandma!!!

This post is written to participate in Immune India contest organised by Dabur. Having trouble with your little one’s health? Just give 2 spoons of Dabur Chyawanprash daily. Having trouble with your health and are you calorie conscious? Don’t worry. Try the sugar free variant. For more details refer www.daburchyawanprash.com

Priest: Steffi, do you take Rajesh to be your lawfully wedded husband?

Steffi: I do.

A teardrop falls down my cheek as I stand here watching my daughter, my princess getting married. It is like yesterday that I was standing in the same church with Naveen, exchanging our vows. Twenty five years have passed and he still makes me feel like a princess. I watch the wedding, holding his hands. When they exchange the rings few more teardrops roll down my cheek, though I try to fight them back. I believe that rings are exchanged in marriage since they symbolize never-ending and immortal love. A ring represents wholeness, perfection, peace and also implies “Hey that’s my man. Stay away from him”. I lean on his shoulders admiring the platinum wedding ring in my hand which shines as new. He turns and winks at me and then smiles. It is this smile that made me fall for him and propose to him. Yeah you read it correct. It was me who proposed to him. It is quite contrary to the common belief that only boys propose to girls. Anyway who cares? All is fair in love and war.

A small smile appears at the corner of my lips as old memories start flooding in.

It was the first day of my college. I was nervous and tensed because none of my friends had joined my college, not even my school mates. Everything was new around me. With orientation on the first day I was searching for the auditorium for nearly 15 minutes. Finally I found it and on entering I saw thousands of faces staring at me. The hall was nearly full except for a few seats left in the first row. I managed to find a seat next to a girl who gave me a How can you come late on first day look. I was busy trying to ignore her when the principal of the college entered and he introduced himself. He then continued “It’s not possible for me to get an introduction from all of you. A lucky few will get the chance.”I was praying god that I shouldn’t be one among the lucky few. Then I consoled myself telling, what are the odds of me getting pointed out from 1000 students. He said “The lady on the first row can you introduce yourself?” I turned to see who was that unlucky girl and my heart stopped beating as I realized his fingers were pointing at me. I stood up and started introducing “ My name is……..” and my mind went blank for a second and then I remembered my name and continued “Rukma” after a long pause. “What? Upma?” a voice came from the back and the whole auditorium burst out laughing. I was embarrassed and I turned in time to see the guy. He was tall, fair and was sitting 2 rows behind me diagonally laughing. I wanted to strangle him. People say first impression is the best impression. Definitely my first impression on him was the worst. I never wanted to see him again in my life.

On the way from auditorium to class, whenever people laughed around me it was as if they were pointing at me and laughing. Controlling my urge to kill him I was searching for my classroom. I was put in section ‘F’. I found my classroom and entered. The room was empty except for a few guys sitting in the last bench and there he was again sitting like a king in the last bench. It was as if he smiled at me mockingly, but I was not sure if I was imagining. He was the last person I wanted to see that day. Cursing my fate I entered the classroom.

The first day ended with no further disaster. I wanted a fresh start the next day. It was physics lab for the first two hours. The professor started dividing the class into 6 groups telling that each group was supposed to do an experiment. Then he started dividing each group into 5 teams with 2 members in each team. I was standing there sleepy and bored as he was calling out individual names and pairing them with their partner. I was roused from my sleep as the professor read out my name “Rukma” and he scanned through a list and continued “annnnd Naveen”. It was like a day mare for me. With no other option I started doing experiments with him. Lab was for only once a week. So I talked with him only when required. I came to know that his name was Naveen George. We didn’t exactly become friends but the hatred I had on him started disappearing.

We completed first semester successfully and we moved into our respective departments. I had opted for Computer Science and he Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE). Time flew by and we had completed 4 semesters. I saw him occasionally either in the corridor or canteen. But whenever I saw him I heard a chorus song in my mind “Upma upma upma”.

Third year of college was quite hectic because we had placements at the end. You could find either “Quantitative Aptitude” by R. S. Aggarwal or “Modern Operating System” by Tenanbaum in everyone’s hand. We were busy preparing resumes and on one fine morning I realized I had only two certificates. So me and my friend were searching for contests to participate at least to get a participation certificate. Luckily we found a hardware contest the next week. But Computer science and hardware is like an oxymoron to me. Basically I was allergic to circuits. But for the want of a single certificate we decided to participate in the contest. After getting a big list of “To Buy” from our friend who was in ECE we purchased all the circuit stuff. With her help somehow we had managed to assemble the wires and other circuit stuff on a circuit board which was thrice the size of my palm with infinite holes in it like the stars in the sky. We prayed god and switched on the circuit. None of the LEDs were glowing. We didn’t know whether the problem was with the wires or some component used or with the circuit design itself. It was not like a JAVA code easy to debug with just print statements. After getting help from almost everyone from ECE department we were frustrated and about to give up. On seeing our pathetic condition one of our friends suggested us to contact a guy named Naveen telling that he was an expert in circuits. Ahhhh once again he entered my life. At first I was reluctant to contact him. But with no other option I got his phone number from a common friend and called him. I never knew that, that phone call would mark the beginning of my love. He saw the circuit, removed some wires, added few wires and the circuit was working. Till today I don’t have a single clue as to how he fixed it. We didn’t win the prize but I din’t expect I was about to win something more valuable, him. That night I called him and thanked him for helping us. We talked for nearly an hour and my feelings for him started changing. We started to message and call each other occasionally. Occasionally turned frequently and in no time we were calling each other daily, talking for hours. Whenever I see him in college it made me happy. I started searching for his face during lunch hours. I had heard somewhere “There is a thin line between love and friendship”. I never knew I was standing on that line about to fall on the love side. The chorus song of “upma upma” which I was hearing earlier on seeing him got changed to romantic chorus songs.

In third year he got internship and was supposed to go to Japan for a month. The thought of him going far away made me uncomfortable as if a part of me was leaving. I talked with him right before he boarded the plane. I was restless the next day not able to talk with him. One more day passed. I felt as if someone was suffocating me. The next day I got a mail from him asking me to come online in skype. I logged in an hour before and was waiting for him. When he came online, on seeing his pic I wanted to hug him. I remember studying that hand movements were voluntary actions. But that day it became involuntary and I started the conversation typing “I LOVE U”. The reply came “I LOVE U TOO”. Only then I noticed I was crying and smiling.

After four years of madly loving each other we tied the knot officially declaring our love. The moment we exchanged our platinum rings I felt as if I had conquered the most lovable man on earth. I wanted to shout “This is my man”. I had chosen a platinum ring for our wedding because I thought platinum represented my love. Platinum is a noble metal, rare in earth’s crust and resistant to corrosion, so is my love, rare and everlasting.

I am waken up from my reverie as my daughter comes running towards me showing her platinum ring “Mom..I’m married”. I see the same happiness in her eyes that I had 25 years back. When my daughter told me she was in love I asked her about the guy. She told me “Rajesh treats me the way dad treats you”. That was all that I had to hear from her. Her marriage was arranged and here she is hugging me.

Suddenly I hear a voice calling “Hey Upma..”. I turn to see Naveen standing there winking at me and showing his ring “I’m also married”. I punch him and hug him thanking god for all that he has given me.

This post is a dedication to all people who are married, about to be married and lovers who have already found their Platinum Day of Love and also to all singles out there wishing them luck in finding their Platinum Day of Love